Australian Politics
Monday, February 19, 2024
Move to rename Magnetic Island National Park to Indigenous name, Yunbenun
Why are our names not good enough? Why must they be renamed to please a tiny minority? Does it in fact please anybody? Our names are easier to remember, for a start. All the change achieves is for Leftists to look good in their own eyes. It also deflects attention from history and its lessons. History tends to discredit what passes for ideas among the Left so they avoid it like the plague
A push by the Queensland Government to rename Magnetic Island’s iconic national park to an Indigenous name has been slammed as a ‘meaningless gesture’ by angry residents.
The Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) is proposing to change the name of Magnetic Island National Park to Yunbenun in a nod to traditional owners.
Yunbenun — pronounced Yuhn-beh-nin — is the preferred name for the island by the Wulgurukaba, or the ‘canoe people.’
It’s understood the proposed renaming relates to the national park only, not the name of the island itself, but many residents fear it’s only a matter of time before that changes too.
It comes after the state government reinstated Fraser Island’s Indigenous name, K’gari, in 2023.
Magnetic Island resident and writer Mary Vernon anticipates a massive local backlash to the renaming. “A lot of people are concerned about it because it’s just a meaningless gesture really,” she said.
“I think people are also worried about where it might lead and the possibility of renaming the entire island.
“I know there’s a group of people on the island who are very keen for it to be renamed, but they don’t represent the majority.”
In a statement, DESI said the proposed change to the name of the national park “recognises the rich cultural history of the area and the ongoing, deep connection to the island for the Wulgurukaba people.”
“DESI has recently unveiled an updated management statement for the national park, which outlines strategic directions for conserving key natural social and cultural values of the World Heritage Area,” it said.
“This includes Wulgurukaba cultural sites and places as well as the heritage-listed World War II fort complex, significant vine thickets and the iconic hoop pine of Magnetic Island.”
The public is invited to have their say on the proposed renaming of the national park between now and 5pm on April 19.
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#MeToo has driven young men into an opposing stance of bullish conservatism
Feminism has driven men and women apart -- a loss for both
We have a problem. As a species. Particularly in the western world. An ideological divide is opening up in many countries that goes to the heart of the human race, the future of us. It is a problematic divide between girls and boys, a widening philosophical gap in terms of aspiration/outlook that’s having impacts in many arenas. Not least in our high schools.
Recent research shows that girls are becoming more progressive; boys, more conservative. The rift is demonstrated in a study from the Gallup Poll Social Series, which shows that political ideology for females aged 18-29 in countries such as the US, Germany, the UK and South Korea is veering towards a small-l liberal ideology, but boys, in opposition, are cleaving to conservatism.
So, Gen Z is split. Two separate worlds. Of increasingly aware girls not afraid to call it out, and frustrated boys trying to deal with the new voices roaring at them. What will the future be, for all of them, together? How will these findings affect marriage rates, birth trends, the politics of the schoolyard, workplace relations, societal harmony? The new dynamic is already being demonstrated in elections here – the rise of the Teals was thanks in large part to women. The trend will continue as females search for representatives who understand them, listen.
And ahead, an even more dramatically cleaved society. I watch, perturbed, feeling for both sides. The impetus for the girls is towards fairness and equality; a move away from subservience. A natural step for the educated, and why the Taliban wants to stop females from being educated at all. Ignorance keeps the female subjugated, in servitude to the male; it removes the threat of women with a voice.
The impetus for boys, understandably, is to preserve what they had. Which was power and control, for millennia. My heart goes out to males because so many are hurting, raging, lost. Imagine it. A person born to be at the top of the tree, who has expected this all their childhood, and who steps into adulthood wanting this cosy arrangement to continue. But girls are now digging in their heels, saying enough, we want those chances too. Life’s been unfair for usfor a very long time, and we’re just as competent.
Why all this now, so fractiously? A theory. The very loud #MeToo movement, which galvanised young women, has driven young men into an opposing stance of bullish conservatism. We all have to work through it, with compassion and sensitivity, until equality is normalised and young males don’t see this new way of being as a threat. But it will take many years. Generations.
What we have now is the fulcrum, the tipping point. Boys flinching into conservatism, into what’s been comfortable and known throughout history; conservatism by nature means a cleaving to traditional models, the status quo. Progressivism is about social reform. Embracing it, facilitating it. Which is where a lot of educated young women are now and there’s no going back from it. #MeToo and the first and second wave feminist movements before it are exploding the parameters that kept females in their place.
Meanwhile boys and girls retreat into their siloed worlds online, with little crossover. There’s a lack of tolerance for the “other” on both sides, a scorning and sneering at these divergent environments. Some boys find their Andrew Tates to cling to, while for girls the messaging all around them is that they can now be anything, do anything, and as well as the boys. Female teens are unstoppable and school boys have to concede some of their traditional power. But it’s messy. I feel for teachers in co-ed high schools right now, the cauldrons of this vast societal shift. What’s needed, urgently, is empathy and understanding. From both sides.
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Company has a $2bn pipeline of retirement living projects, but says it’s being stymied by red tape
The boss of EQT-backed retirement living provider Levande says the sector can play a central role in easing the country’s housing shortage, but onerous planning regimes in some states and hefty foreign investment charges in others are delaying much-needed investment in new developments.
Kevin McCoy, who took over as Levande chief executive a year ago, said the retirement sector itself was facing a ballooning shortage of units, and fast-tracking development would help to ease that shortage, while also releasing more homes into the general housing supply.
The Levande brand was created by Sweden-based investment firm EQT after it acquired Stockland’s retirement living business for $987m in 2022.
Mr McCoy said EQT was looking to spend up to $2bn on new developments and redevelopments of existing sites over the next five to 10 years as it looked to cater to the rising number of Australian baby boomers reaching retirement.
He said EQT would ramp up its investment in Australia over the next five years, by which time it hoped to deliver up to 800 new retirement units annually.
But several obstacles currently stood in the way, he said, including lengthy development approval processes in some states and foreign investment surcharges in states including South Australia and NSW.
“We think retirement living is perfectly placed as a product to tackle both availability and affordability,” he said.
“One of the biggest challenges is the amount of time it takes to get through development planning, getting bogged down in councils – in the construction of a village the longest period of time is spent on getting the planning permission.
“This is a system-wide problem and so I think we should look at solutions where all housing development can get a bit more nimble.”
Levande has a target of acquiring 20 new development sites within the next three years, following its first land acquisition earlier this month, when it snapped up a 1.75ha site in Bentleigh East, in Melbourne’s southeast, where it plans to build a new retirement community for around 400 residents.
Mr McCoy, who spent 10 years at Australian Unity before joining Levande, said a mix of infill and greenfield developments formed part of Levande’s aggressive expansion plan, as well as redevelopments of some of the 58 villages in its portfolio, which currently had an occupancy rate of about 95 per cent.
“Pretty central to it (strategy) is development, and in five to six years time we’d want to be bringing 500 to 800 units onto the market every year,” he said.
“The demographics are going the industry’s way. If you think of market penetration in Australia – about 8 or 9 per cent of people turning 75 are likely to choose retirement living as the setting for their next 10, 15, 20 years.
“If you think of the people turning 75 every week as the baby boomers come through, that’s growing exponentially, and so even if market penetration holds, that demand is going to go increasingly higher.
“And because there’s been a lag in construction for quite a few years, particularly around that Covid time, there’s a shortage of product.
“EQT has looked at the theme of ageing, and looked at the opportunity to invest, looked at the demographics in Australia, the product of retirement living, quite a big market take-up and that’s what they’ve invested in.”
Other projects in Levande’s pipeline include a $200m, 28-storey vertical retirement village and aged care facility currently under construction in Epping, in Sydney’s northwest.
Redevelopments of existing sites are also part of the expansion plan, while 10 villages have been earmarked for a complete knock down and rebuild, including three projects in Melbourne and Sydney that are in advanced stages of planning.
In Adelaide, Levande is considering investing up to $100m to convert a disused six-storey aged care facility at its Somerton Park site into retirement apartments.
Levande owns 11 retirement villages in South Australia, and is currently running the rule over three additional development sites in the state.
However, Mr McCoy said foreign investor surcharges on residential land and property purchases in SA and NSW made projects in those two states a little harder to stack up.
“Because we’re foreign owned we have to effectively pay double stamp duty on anything,” he said.
“We’re trying to work with policy makers and governments and treasuries on that.”
Recent figures released by the Retirement Living council suggest the sector is heading towards a 49,000 shortage of units by 2030.
Retirement Living Council executive director Daniel Gannon said it was important the federal government recognised the role retirement living could play in its ambitious housing plan, given Housing Industry Association forecasts that suggest the government’s promise to build 1.2 million new homes in five years is on track to fall short by 200,000 without radical policy reforms.
“Between now and 2030 the retirement industry requires 67,000 homes to be built to meet existing levels of demand from older Australians, with only 18,000 currently in the planning pipeline,” he said.
“These 67,000 homes would represent 34 per cent of the gap identified by the HIA, meaning retirement communities can help the government solve Australia’s housing supply problem.
“There are currently 2 million Australians over the age of 75, a cohort which is set to increase to 3.4 million by 2024. This demographic shift will cause further pressure on housing supply, healthcare systems and an already struggling aged care sector.”
The Retirement Living Council is also calling on state governments to set minimum land allocations for retirement communities in greenfield and master-planned developments, in a similar way to social and affordable housing targets.
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Doctors fearful as rising psychosis cases linked to medical cannabis
Years ago I knew some people who used pot a lot. Eventually they seemed switched off most of the time
A shocking numbers of patients who have never had a mental health problem in their lives are turning up to hospitals with psychosis after being prescribed popular “cure all” medical cannabis, psychiatrists warn.
And half of those patients are at risk of ending up with serious, lifelong conditions like schizophrenia.
In an extraordinary move, a Brisbane public hospital doctor has broken the silence on a disturbing trend showing an upswing in patients presenting with psychosis after recently being prescribed medical cannabis.
Research from Associate Professor Stephen Parker, psychiatrist and clinical lead at the Metro North Hospital and Health Service’s early psychosis service shows one in 10 people referred to his services at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and Prince Charles Hospital for support had been prescribed medical cannabis in the three months prior, for issues like anxiety.
The doctor said that the public perception of medical cannabis production as a harmless panacea is understandable due to extensive marketing but the risks are under-recognised.
“Over the last 18 months I have seen more and more young people on a great life trajectory suddenly finding that their lives are falling apart after being prescribed high-dose cannabis,” he said.
The most common cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC is psychoactive, while CBD interacts with the immune and nervous systems.
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Queensland Chair Professor Brett Emmerson is so concerned by emerging surges in psychosis cases he is calling for a ban on products that contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which can lead to psychosis.
And the Australian Medical Association Queensland is demanding that the Therapeutic Goods Administration launches an urgent review into all medical cannabis products.
Professor Emmerson told The Sunday Mail that the problem is statewide and the college has waved the red flag “to every possible medical board”.
“When medical cannabis was first available it was for childhood epilepsy or pain from cancer now it’s regularly used for insomnia or anxiety when there are much better ways to treat these conditions. Now there are a large number of products available that have high levels of THC,” he said.
“I believe that a number of GP prescribers are being investigated by the Health Ombudsman,” Prof Emmerson said.
Medical cannabis dispensaries have become increasingly accessible via brief web consultations or via self-assessment of pre-existing conditions
AMAQ chief Maria Boulton said that members have been worried about the regulatory controls over the medical cannabis market for some time and have raised the issue with the chief health officer.
Medical cannabis was legalised in the state in 2016 and demand has soared. There are over 700 different products on the market with oils, tablets, lozenges and creams.
Dr Boulton said that there’s no evidence that medical cannabis is effective for some of the conditions it is being prescribed for and the effect on patients with some psychotic illnesses can be severe.
“We need the federal and state governments to work together, as the current controls do not appear to be working to prevent harm. We need federal action from the TGA to review these products,” she said.
A TGA spokesperson warned “the majority of medicinal cannabis products supplied in Australia are ‘unapproved’ medicines”.
“It is important to note that the nature of unapproved medicines is that the TGA has not evaluated them for safety, quality or effectiveness,” the spokesperson said.
Dr Laurence Kemp, Medical Lead for medical cannabis clinic Cann I Help said that there is a risk with medical cannabis with high levels of THC but it was the duty of the prescribing doctor to properly assess the correct levels for patients and also assess patients who may be susceptible to psychosis.
“Patient selection for medical cannabis is very important and there must be robust follow up arrangements. Some people do better with the CBD element in the cannabis. It is not something that is the same across the board for everyone,” he said.
The expert said that the black market for medical cannabis was bigger than the medical market and that was a real concern.
“We mostly prescribe for conditions like muscular pain, anxiety and insomnia and people can get some great results,” he said.
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Also see my other blogs. Main ones below:
http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM -- daily)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
http://jonjayray.com/blogall.html More blogs
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